Researchers analyzed three bird skeletons to understand how the Hawaiian honeycreeper hammers into wood despite lacking the heavily reinforced skull structures seen in woodpeckers. The species uses a short femur and a well-developed ankle-flexing leg muscle to drive its entire body downward into each strike. Once wood is breached, the bird uses an upper bill whose bony core is 38 percent shorter than its outer sheath to safely probe for hidden larvae. Because these coordinated mechanics require significant practice, juveniles must remain with adult birds for an unusually long time to learn the technique.
Key points
The ʻakiapōlāʻau fills an ecological niche comparable to woodpeckers despite having no cl…: The ʻakiapōlāʻau fills an ecological niche comparable to woodpeckers despite having no close evolutionary relationship to them.
Whole-body mechanics compensate for the absence of the reinforced skull structures typica…: Whole-body mechanics compensate for the absence of the reinforced skull structures typically used by wood-boring birds.
Juveniles depend on extended parental care because mastering the complex foraging method…: Juveniles depend on extended parental care because mastering the complex foraging method requires extensive practice.
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Endangered Hawaiian bird uses beak and body to dig out its dinner
Nov 5 : The ʻakiapōlāʻau has no need for a toolbox. The endangered Hawaiian bird taps the wood of trees, hacks into it with the lower half of its unusual beak, then switches to its long, flexible upper bill to probe the hole for insect larvae to eat.
New research provides the most comprehensive look yet at this Hawaiian honeycreeper's unique anatomy, showing that when the bird strikes the wood, even its legs get involved in the action.
The ʻakiapōlāʻau (pronounced ah-key-ah-POLE-ah-ow) is found only on the island of Hawaii and feeds mainly on insects, including larvae hidden in branches. There are no native woodpeckers in Hawaii, but the ʻakiapōlāʻau has evolved its own way of getting at prey inside wood, filling a similar feeding niche despite the two birds not being closely related.
Scientists had long observed how the ʻakiapōlāʻau feeds, but knew much less about the anatomy that makes this behavior possible. To investigate, the researchers examined three ʻakiapōlāʻau skeletons from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology…
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